Lost building, Detroit, 1867 to 1953
Hilsendegen Block
Demolished in 1953
- Opened
- 1867
- Style
- Italianate
- Torn down
- 1953
Designed by Peter Dederichs and Sheldon Smith & Son
The Hilsendegen Block stood in Detroit from 1867 until 1953. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
A construction site
Detroit's Hilsendegen Block, designed by Peter Dederichs and Sheldon Smith & Son, stood on this spot for 86 years. It came down 73 years ago. Today the spot is a construction site.
- 1867 Opens Hilsendegen Block
- 1953 Comes down Hilsendegen Block
- 2026 Today Construction site
How we know what stands there
- OpenStreetMap construction site at the map point
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
A construction site
- Today Source: OpenStreetMap
- Hilsendegen Block came down Source: Historic Detroit
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
The Hilsendegen Block went up in 1867, as Detroit's lumber, stove and shipbuilding money went into brick and stone.
Credit the design to Peter Dederichs and Sheldon Smith & Son, in the Italianate style.
It is gone now, demolished in 1953, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1867 Built Designed by Peter Dederichs and Sheldon Smith & Son
- 1953 Closed
- 1953 Demolished
- 2026 Today 73 years since it came down
Where it is
200-220 Monroe Ave.
On this map
- 1 Hilsendegen Block This place
- 2 St. John’s German Evangelical Church 70 ft
- 3 National Theatre 200 ft
- 4 Palace Theatre 200 ft
- 5 Water Board Building 240 ft
- 6 Ste. Claire Hotel 240 ft
- 7 Pochelon Building 250 ft
- 8 Crowley's Department Store 250 ft
- 9 Liberty Theatre 310 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
St. Mary's Catholic Church, by Peter Dederichs. Photo: I, Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Architect
Peter DederichsArchitect, 1856 to 1924. Designed St. Mary's Catholic Church (1885) and 3 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Peter Dederichs
Architect
Sheldon Smith & SonArchitecture firm. Designed Detroit Opera House (first) (1869) and the Hilsendegen Block
Also by Sheldon Smith & Son
More from Detroit in the 1860s
-
Central United Methodist Church
House of worship, built 1867, Gothic Revival, by Gordon W. Lloyd
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
![Griswold Hotel, Griswold Hotel [lobby, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4523-2324-thumb-15fabace68.jpg)
Griswold Hotel
Hotel, built 1868, demolished 1961
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
House of worship, built 1870, Late Gothic Revival, by Donaldson & Meier
Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Christ Church
House of worship, built 1863, Gothic Revival, by Gordon W. Lloyd
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Academy of the Sacred Heart
School, built 1862, English Gothic, by James W. Wall, demolished 1920
Photo: Appraiser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Monument, built 1872, Classic Revival
Photo: JJonahJackalope, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- St. John’s German Evangelical Church House of worship, built 1853, demolished 1878 70 ft
-
National Theatre
Theater, built 1911, Baroque-Beaux Arts, by Albert Kahn, demolished 2024
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
200 ft
- Palace Theatre Theater, built 1914, Italian Renaissance, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 1953 200 ft
-
Water Board Building
Building, built 1928, Art Moderne, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
240 ft
-
Ste. Claire Hotel
Hotel, built 1893, Renaissance Revival, by John Donaldson, demolished 1934
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
240 ft
- Pochelon Building Building, built 1923, Neoclassical, by Mildner & Eisen, demolished 250 ft
- Crowley's Department Store Building, built 1906, Beaux Arts, by Field, Hinchman & Smith, demolished 1977 250 ft
- Liberty Theatre Theater, built 1871, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 1926 310 ft
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.